Post by akaisherry47 on Feb 28, 2016 9:34:57 GMT
Title: Hexes, Hoaxes
Prompt: "I'm sick of trying to fit in. I'm better off alone anyway." "No you're not, so stop trying to convince yourself.... Besides, I like you the way you are."
Word Count: 3217
Rating: K+
Summary: Everybody lies to show face, that's why she has to be on top of everything if she has any hope of surviving the modern-day witch-hunt...
Author's Notes: When I received my prompt, I immediately thought about Akako instead of Ai/Shiho. While I am quite preoccupied with other more pressing matters at the moment, thankfully I had enough time not only to finally complete a story - something I haven't done in a while, but write one about a character I've always wanted to try. I honestly don't think I've explored her well enough given the constraints so I'm pretty nervous about posting this, but I hope it wasn't too disappointing especially for the person who provided this prompt. As for how the concept was born, I'd rather be discreet about the details, but sadly, it has its realistic roots...
If Akako Koizumi were to compile a list of all the things she dreaded in this world, it would probably take a week to finish. Indeed, such compendium would be too long that she'd most likely grow weary halfway through the exercise and just let her manservant jot the rest down, beginning with his own hideous countenance and incessant obsequiousness. Of course, magicians remain foremost in that list and would remain so until destiny turns her to dust, followed by an omnium-gatherum of curiosities both worldly and otherwise, insufferable spirits, creatures and damsels – the last one being the worst, just to name a few.
Too bad she couldn't avoid getting lumped with a busload of damsels for this semester's field trip.
"Please lead the way, Koizumi-san," said the instructor in charge of their group. Unbeknownst to him, she was the one being instructed to say that. Akako loved having her pick of the seats.
"Oh, it would be my pleasure, sensei," Akako complied, putting on a more flippant veil. "I'm confident that this trip will be as enlightening as it will be amusing."
"I'm glad to hear at least one of you feels that way. We really need to learn how to appreciate our environment, especially at this day and age."
"I couldn't agree more."
As soon as the instructor turned her attention towards the rest of the students waiting to get aboard did the sorceress molt her act away.
"Enlightening and amusing... Ha! As if anyone can actually feel that way about driving into the middle of nowhere to 'get in touch with nature'," she thought, already regretting her decision to participate in this outing as she ambled straight to the back. "If you all really want to get in touch with nature, I can 'mediate' for you and let you all know how much they despise you for the damage you wrought upon them." Even without Lucifer's clairvoyance, she could imagine her impending torment vividly: about two to three long hours enduring nausea caused not by the bumps and turns of the drive, but by the convoluted atmosphere inside this mechanical carriage and the noise reverberating along the waves.
It would've been so much better if Ekoda High rented buses for each section as was initially discussed so she could have the guys from her class grovel at her feet like puppies behind a glass window eager to have a new owner. But a clerical error on the part of the bus company left them with two larger conveyances on the day of the trip instead. Ha! If someone was to be burned at the stake, it ought to be that fool who caused this.
Akako wasn't the only one dismayed by the tardy news, but at least she had the consolation of not having to watch those who are seeing someone from her batch act all mushy with each other and dawdle their infatuation away. "I suppose it can't be helped. Everyone might find my absence peculiar anyway. "It'll make their hearts grow fonder, and more delightful to break."
On a finer day should have spent the next few moment gloating, but so far, it hasn't lived up to that standard.
"Still, it does not change the fact that this will be a colossal waste of time. I only need to channel my spiritual energy and consult with Hecate about different herb for the assignment. I most certainly have no interest in getting to know any of these bores."
Nestled two rows from the back on the left. Akako looked on as the rest of her schoolmates came pouring in. Fortunately, everybody chose to settle as far away from her as possible, giving her the opportunity to put her bag beside her. It goes without saying that none of them deserved the pleasure of breathing the same air she does, and her elixirs and books were too precious to leave careless up on the rack too. Akako, however, was able to catch part of the palavering between cliques and pairs who seem like they haven't grown weary of each other's faces after looking at them everyday.
It wasn't her intention to eavesdrop into their conversations, but despite the clamor inside the metal freight their voices still stood out, loud enough for their words to pierce through her ears.
About three rows ahead of her, a classmate, Konishi, was claiming to have seen a celebrity in person. "He's really charming! I wish I could've taken a selfie with him, but his assistant was just too rude, like she was his girlfriend or something! I nearly dropped my phone!"
"If you really saw him, why aren't you showing any stolen shots? Nobody cares about his assistant or your phone." Akako thought.
A little further ahead, a girl from another section, Sugimoto (Akako wasn't too sure if that was actually her name; not that it was important), was listening to her friend as she complimented her new hairstyle. "The fringe really suits your personality."
"R-really?" the friend affected shyness, but Akako could tell she relished the idea of her being more beautiful than her seatmate.
Not to be outdone was the racket Kawashima, another classmate, was creating up front, bragging about how she was going to profess her feelings towards someone. "Alright! I'm finally gonna tell Ryu-kun as soon as I find the perfect mood!"
"But isn't he into Koizumi-san, just like most of the guys in our batch?"
"Well, chances like this don't come very often so I've got to give it everything I have no matter what!"
"Ah, such mawkish speeches... Not that it will amount to much considering who he's into…"Akako smirked, absolutely certain that none of these people meant whatever came out of their lips. She of all people would attest to it, the venomous red apple that she was.
However, Akako felt unsatisfied with just a notion of the truth. Not on this tragically boring day. She needed to get herself afloat, lest her spirit would ebb away amid so rustic a surrounding.
And so she decided to play a bit using her "hidden talents"….
Siphoning the energy from her body and into her mind, the sorceress solemnly whispered a four-verse hex, releasing her mind's true potential and granting her the ability to tap into another's...
"There... Now let's uncover the ugliness you desperately try to belie."
The spell would last only for a couple of minutes however, a restriction her predecessors enacted as prolonged intrusion of another being's ego could be overwhelming for an intruder without sufficient experience and focus. At worst, it could drive them insane. While she was certainly no amateur, having tested it a number of occasions in the past, a little discretion never hurt anybody. As for why she never used this on Kuroba-kun so he could no longer refute her claims? She needed not waste her energy on that which to her was as plain as the white his alter ego donned.
Tuning in to dozens of mental chatter at once immediately took its toll on Akako, but she wasn't the type to be deterred by a trifling migraine. Wasting no time getting distracted by the sensation it roused inside her own head, she sifted through the irrelevant noise and zeroed in on the subconscious of her three chosen targets, beginning with the closest one, Konishi.
"I wish I actually got close enough, but there were just too many reporters and fans... Oh well, at least I wasn't the one who got pushed around..."
As expected, the kind of person who wanted to be the heroine in her friends' eyes even if she had to tell tall tales to do so. "Hmph... Typical," Akako muttered. "Your funeral will definitely be a depressing one, with 'mourners' comparing notes about the inconsistencies of your stories." She moved on to her next quarry without so much as a lingering glance.
"Of course it does suit me. And don't even try copying it, it'll look horrible on you."
"Ahh... Sugimoto-san's bottled feelings are a little more engrossing than Konishi-san's, someone who would let envy get in the way of their so-called bond once it grows beyond her control." Resting her chin on her hand, the sorceress rummaged further into Sugimoto's friend's recent memories, and learned that this girl had openly expressed interest in trying the fringed style weeks before her friend changed into it. Akako was confident that she'd find more instances like that in their history if she were to delve deeper but ultimately decided against it, keeping the spell's duration into perspective. It would be interesting to see if this little crack would burst into a rift between them in the future.
Satisfied with the dirt she had uncovered, Akako averted from her jealous schoolmate and languidly proceeded to the last, and frankly most annoying of the trio – Kawashima. She already had a pretty good guess that she'd find nothing but outrageous coquetry in the air that filled this person's head.
What Akako couldn't foresee however, was the reaction she'd get the moment she pervaded the audacious girl's thoughts.
Kawashima was looking straight at her, with a derisive grin no less.
"I just have to keep pushing, and I'm sure Ryu-kun will accept me. It's not like I have to compete with Koizumi anyway. Heh... If only he could see how uncool she looks right now without a guy fawning over her. Nobody here even wants to sit with a plastic doll like her."
Like a sparrow chased away by the arrival of a potential predator, the sorceress fled from Kawashima's consciousness, gasping for air as she tried to restore her composure. For sure, the momentary eye contact they shared was incidental, but the emotion that seethed in there was far more compelling than she had presumed. If this was what deterred her ancestors from using telepathy, then they had been most prudent.
Of course, Akako wasn't ignorant of the fact that there were girls in Ekoda who despised her to the core. Someone who practically enchants every man with her mere presence should expect to have one or ten detractors lurking in the shadows with their pitchforks in hand. In her case, no matter how prim or beautiful her female contemporaries were, she'd easily outshine them just as the glorious red moon outshines every star in the raven sky.
Still, learning of someone's contempt directly has the knack of invoking a more... frivolous response than simply being aware of it. And truth be told, she never made a lot of effort in changing their opinion of her either, a far cry from the lengths she had gone through to earn the adulation of every man who would venture in her vicinity. However, it wasn't for the lack of trying as it was her lifeblood reminding her of her lineage's sordid history. Like white painted over a richer colored surface, traces of their real, prejudiced, insecure, and treacherous nature will always remain no matter how thick the make-up they lather across their faces were. They flash their brightest smiles when you try to be nice to them, but the moment you turn your back they quickly shed their masks off and begin cutting you down to size, mocking you for your daftness, even conniving to exploit your good will until you're nothing but a husk of your former self.
And if you're not careful, an overnight trip such as this one, an occasion where pretenses are put aside and relationships between friends and lovers are nurtured, could turn into the worst day of your life.
"No matter how much time passes, harpies never change... Pitiful," Akako lamented, calling to mind the role such filth played in the demise of her ancestors all those decades ago. In some ways, they were the ones who instigated it, sowing the seeds of stigma about her kind because it was all they could do to win back their lovers and spouses, unable to measure up against their rivals' beauty, grace and power in an honorable contest. There were even hussies who stooped so low as to befriend them only to gather more "evidence" to back their claims and "expose" them while they're most vulnerable, using fallacies like faith and the law to justify their tactless actions.
She wouldn't deny her kindred's accountability ab out the latter though. But at the end of the day, witches were still human... Unable to feed off on malefic energy as voraciously as demons do... Still bound to earthly desires by that pesky thing called emotion.
Girls in this generation are no different, perhaps even worse than ever now that they have alternative means to spread their bile discreetly and more reasons to ostracize their so-called 'witches', the pettiness of those reasons notwithstanding. Akako wouldn't have lasted this long if she hadn't been fighting fire with a much stronger force all this time... Lying to everyone through her teeth and taking advantage of the right people to get her way, even if came down to using the abilities she was bestowed with and had perfected since. The very few who were so dumb as to oppose her wiles? Some of them developed a stutter whenever they hear doors creaking and crows crying, while others became quite fearful of heights, cramped spaces, mice, and swimming pools, only to describe a few curious events that changed their lives significantly.
And the best part? None of these could be traced back to her. After all, everyone adored Akako Koizumi, and badmouthing her was practically social suicide, among other horrible things.
Indeed, the path of the red witch was marred with deceit, thus could only be taken in solitude. She used to get depressed by it when she was younger and more naive, but in time she had come to realize just how pathetic these 'mortals' were especially when faced with a more superior being.
Now, all she could feel for them was enmity.
"So what should I do with you, Kawashima-san? Should I wrap your precious Ryu-kun around my finger for the duration of this excursion and deny you of your triumph? Or would you prefer to develop scabs all over your face? Hmm…I think I'll do both..."
This time, Akako was in a very jubilant mood. In fact, she was on the verge of bursting out when...
"Akako-chan?"
Annoyed, the sorceress narrowed her eyes towards her apparent agitator, only to find a girl who has caught enough of her ire in the past to earn a special mention in her blacklist. "Do you need something from me, Nakamori-san?"
"Umm, I was just wondering," Aoko stuttered at first, but after a deep breath, pushed through with what she had meant to ask. "Can I sit beside you?"
Akako wasn't exactly stunned by the inquiry. As the bus's gullet is gradually filled, she knew it was only a matter of time until someone dared impose on her remaining space. "Wouldn't you be better off sitting with Momoi-san?" she discouraged. After all, letting Aoko have her way now meant she'll be sticking with her for the rest of the trip, stupid buddy system and all.
"Well, Keiko's already sitting beside Suzume, so..."
Akako gave the rest of the seats a once-over and spotted her bespectacled, pig-tailed classmate, confirming she was indeed already with company. They looked like they were talking about something important, but Akako had no interest in that. What she found curious though was the reason why nobody would offer a spot to someone as affable as Aoko Nakamori. Frankly, she was the last person Akako expected to be left out in the pecking order. "Hmmm... Is this the backlash of your bond with Kuroba-kun? Or could it be that apart from Kuroba-kun and Momoi-san, you're not close enough to any one of them?"
Turning back to Aoko, the sorceress likened her to the clear azure that greeted everyone as they rose from their slumber. Pleasant and empowering as it was, people think very little of it once the gravity of their day to day lives bog them anew. In Aoko's case, no matter how often she clowned around with Kuroba-kun and how many parties she organized, they only see it as an entertaining banter and free food, respectively. Without her confidant to detract her from it, the notion of her so-called friends' fickleness was probably beginning to split that gullible head of hers apart.
"Awww... Poor little girl... You must have been counting on Kuroba-kun to steal away your misery, but alas, fate decided not to humor you today."Akako mocked.
But the vile sentiments she had absorbed from the other egos earlier led her straight into a more ominous premonition. "Wait a minute. Don't tell me you've finally caught on with that handkerchief prank I pulled on you a while back and have decided to seek some form of retribution... Well that's too bad, because it'll take more than your stupid expressions and pretentious innocence to outwit me."
"Oh, I'm sorry, bu-" She was more than ready to shun Aoko away when...
"I really hope Akako-chan says yes!"
Akako was taken aback, not only by the realization that her hex was still in effect, but of the overflowing warmth she had sensed from Aoko's inner voice. Renewing her concentration, she tried to scour deeper into Aoko's musings to learn what she was really up to, but only then did her magic cease to function.
Left with nothing but her own canny, all she could do was narrow her eyes at Aoko. But those orbs refused to waver even in the slightest bit, just like their owner who refused to budge even spots around them still vacant.
In the end, she couldn't find anything to disprove the thoughts she had eavesdropped on.
"Could it be that you actually want to sit with me simply because you want to?" Akako wondered, sizing her adversary up for a moment. "Just what the hell are you plotting?" It certainly wasn't beyond Aoko to be so whimsical, but...
Akako sighed. "No... The better question would be 'what the hell am I thinking'..."
"...I'm sorry. It was immature of me not to have offered this seat to you in the first place," she consented at last. Their standoff was becoming cumbersome anyway. "Go ahead, if you please."
"R-really?!" Aoko's face lit up.
"Mmhmm... But please refrain from topics about Kuroba-kun as well as his parlor tricks. I'm afraid I'm not in the mood for either of them," Akako said while carefully lifting her bag from the seat. "And I'd be grateful if you helped me put this up."
"You can count on me!" she nodded as she carefully took one end of the bag. "Besides, who would want to talk about stupid Kaito anyway?"
"...I suppose I still have plenty of things to learn... I accept today's defeat, but I won't be careless next time," Akako mused, her lips curled up wryly as they hauled her belongings over onto the rack. "Say, Nakamori-san... Are you familiar with Morgan le Fay?"
Aoko pondered for a moment. "She's King Arthur's sister, right? I think I've seen a couple of movies with her in it... But isn't she a very cruel person?"
"Well, actually..."
Prompt: "I'm sick of trying to fit in. I'm better off alone anyway." "No you're not, so stop trying to convince yourself.... Besides, I like you the way you are."
Word Count: 3217
Rating: K+
Summary: Everybody lies to show face, that's why she has to be on top of everything if she has any hope of surviving the modern-day witch-hunt...
Author's Notes: When I received my prompt, I immediately thought about Akako instead of Ai/Shiho. While I am quite preoccupied with other more pressing matters at the moment, thankfully I had enough time not only to finally complete a story - something I haven't done in a while, but write one about a character I've always wanted to try. I honestly don't think I've explored her well enough given the constraints so I'm pretty nervous about posting this, but I hope it wasn't too disappointing especially for the person who provided this prompt. As for how the concept was born, I'd rather be discreet about the details, but sadly, it has its realistic roots...
Red Hexes, Blue Hoaxes
If Akako Koizumi were to compile a list of all the things she dreaded in this world, it would probably take a week to finish. Indeed, such compendium would be too long that she'd most likely grow weary halfway through the exercise and just let her manservant jot the rest down, beginning with his own hideous countenance and incessant obsequiousness. Of course, magicians remain foremost in that list and would remain so until destiny turns her to dust, followed by an omnium-gatherum of curiosities both worldly and otherwise, insufferable spirits, creatures and damsels – the last one being the worst, just to name a few.
Too bad she couldn't avoid getting lumped with a busload of damsels for this semester's field trip.
"Please lead the way, Koizumi-san," said the instructor in charge of their group. Unbeknownst to him, she was the one being instructed to say that. Akako loved having her pick of the seats.
"Oh, it would be my pleasure, sensei," Akako complied, putting on a more flippant veil. "I'm confident that this trip will be as enlightening as it will be amusing."
"I'm glad to hear at least one of you feels that way. We really need to learn how to appreciate our environment, especially at this day and age."
"I couldn't agree more."
As soon as the instructor turned her attention towards the rest of the students waiting to get aboard did the sorceress molt her act away.
"Enlightening and amusing... Ha! As if anyone can actually feel that way about driving into the middle of nowhere to 'get in touch with nature'," she thought, already regretting her decision to participate in this outing as she ambled straight to the back. "If you all really want to get in touch with nature, I can 'mediate' for you and let you all know how much they despise you for the damage you wrought upon them." Even without Lucifer's clairvoyance, she could imagine her impending torment vividly: about two to three long hours enduring nausea caused not by the bumps and turns of the drive, but by the convoluted atmosphere inside this mechanical carriage and the noise reverberating along the waves.
It would've been so much better if Ekoda High rented buses for each section as was initially discussed so she could have the guys from her class grovel at her feet like puppies behind a glass window eager to have a new owner. But a clerical error on the part of the bus company left them with two larger conveyances on the day of the trip instead. Ha! If someone was to be burned at the stake, it ought to be that fool who caused this.
Akako wasn't the only one dismayed by the tardy news, but at least she had the consolation of not having to watch those who are seeing someone from her batch act all mushy with each other and dawdle their infatuation away. "I suppose it can't be helped. Everyone might find my absence peculiar anyway. "It'll make their hearts grow fonder, and more delightful to break."
On a finer day should have spent the next few moment gloating, but so far, it hasn't lived up to that standard.
"Still, it does not change the fact that this will be a colossal waste of time. I only need to channel my spiritual energy and consult with Hecate about different herb for the assignment. I most certainly have no interest in getting to know any of these bores."
Nestled two rows from the back on the left. Akako looked on as the rest of her schoolmates came pouring in. Fortunately, everybody chose to settle as far away from her as possible, giving her the opportunity to put her bag beside her. It goes without saying that none of them deserved the pleasure of breathing the same air she does, and her elixirs and books were too precious to leave careless up on the rack too. Akako, however, was able to catch part of the palavering between cliques and pairs who seem like they haven't grown weary of each other's faces after looking at them everyday.
It wasn't her intention to eavesdrop into their conversations, but despite the clamor inside the metal freight their voices still stood out, loud enough for their words to pierce through her ears.
About three rows ahead of her, a classmate, Konishi, was claiming to have seen a celebrity in person. "He's really charming! I wish I could've taken a selfie with him, but his assistant was just too rude, like she was his girlfriend or something! I nearly dropped my phone!"
"If you really saw him, why aren't you showing any stolen shots? Nobody cares about his assistant or your phone." Akako thought.
A little further ahead, a girl from another section, Sugimoto (Akako wasn't too sure if that was actually her name; not that it was important), was listening to her friend as she complimented her new hairstyle. "The fringe really suits your personality."
"R-really?" the friend affected shyness, but Akako could tell she relished the idea of her being more beautiful than her seatmate.
Not to be outdone was the racket Kawashima, another classmate, was creating up front, bragging about how she was going to profess her feelings towards someone. "Alright! I'm finally gonna tell Ryu-kun as soon as I find the perfect mood!"
"But isn't he into Koizumi-san, just like most of the guys in our batch?"
"Well, chances like this don't come very often so I've got to give it everything I have no matter what!"
"Ah, such mawkish speeches... Not that it will amount to much considering who he's into…"Akako smirked, absolutely certain that none of these people meant whatever came out of their lips. She of all people would attest to it, the venomous red apple that she was.
However, Akako felt unsatisfied with just a notion of the truth. Not on this tragically boring day. She needed to get herself afloat, lest her spirit would ebb away amid so rustic a surrounding.
And so she decided to play a bit using her "hidden talents"….
Siphoning the energy from her body and into her mind, the sorceress solemnly whispered a four-verse hex, releasing her mind's true potential and granting her the ability to tap into another's...
"There... Now let's uncover the ugliness you desperately try to belie."
The spell would last only for a couple of minutes however, a restriction her predecessors enacted as prolonged intrusion of another being's ego could be overwhelming for an intruder without sufficient experience and focus. At worst, it could drive them insane. While she was certainly no amateur, having tested it a number of occasions in the past, a little discretion never hurt anybody. As for why she never used this on Kuroba-kun so he could no longer refute her claims? She needed not waste her energy on that which to her was as plain as the white his alter ego donned.
Tuning in to dozens of mental chatter at once immediately took its toll on Akako, but she wasn't the type to be deterred by a trifling migraine. Wasting no time getting distracted by the sensation it roused inside her own head, she sifted through the irrelevant noise and zeroed in on the subconscious of her three chosen targets, beginning with the closest one, Konishi.
"I wish I actually got close enough, but there were just too many reporters and fans... Oh well, at least I wasn't the one who got pushed around..."
As expected, the kind of person who wanted to be the heroine in her friends' eyes even if she had to tell tall tales to do so. "Hmph... Typical," Akako muttered. "Your funeral will definitely be a depressing one, with 'mourners' comparing notes about the inconsistencies of your stories." She moved on to her next quarry without so much as a lingering glance.
"Of course it does suit me. And don't even try copying it, it'll look horrible on you."
"Ahh... Sugimoto-san's bottled feelings are a little more engrossing than Konishi-san's, someone who would let envy get in the way of their so-called bond once it grows beyond her control." Resting her chin on her hand, the sorceress rummaged further into Sugimoto's friend's recent memories, and learned that this girl had openly expressed interest in trying the fringed style weeks before her friend changed into it. Akako was confident that she'd find more instances like that in their history if she were to delve deeper but ultimately decided against it, keeping the spell's duration into perspective. It would be interesting to see if this little crack would burst into a rift between them in the future.
Satisfied with the dirt she had uncovered, Akako averted from her jealous schoolmate and languidly proceeded to the last, and frankly most annoying of the trio – Kawashima. She already had a pretty good guess that she'd find nothing but outrageous coquetry in the air that filled this person's head.
What Akako couldn't foresee however, was the reaction she'd get the moment she pervaded the audacious girl's thoughts.
Kawashima was looking straight at her, with a derisive grin no less.
"I just have to keep pushing, and I'm sure Ryu-kun will accept me. It's not like I have to compete with Koizumi anyway. Heh... If only he could see how uncool she looks right now without a guy fawning over her. Nobody here even wants to sit with a plastic doll like her."
Like a sparrow chased away by the arrival of a potential predator, the sorceress fled from Kawashima's consciousness, gasping for air as she tried to restore her composure. For sure, the momentary eye contact they shared was incidental, but the emotion that seethed in there was far more compelling than she had presumed. If this was what deterred her ancestors from using telepathy, then they had been most prudent.
Of course, Akako wasn't ignorant of the fact that there were girls in Ekoda who despised her to the core. Someone who practically enchants every man with her mere presence should expect to have one or ten detractors lurking in the shadows with their pitchforks in hand. In her case, no matter how prim or beautiful her female contemporaries were, she'd easily outshine them just as the glorious red moon outshines every star in the raven sky.
Still, learning of someone's contempt directly has the knack of invoking a more... frivolous response than simply being aware of it. And truth be told, she never made a lot of effort in changing their opinion of her either, a far cry from the lengths she had gone through to earn the adulation of every man who would venture in her vicinity. However, it wasn't for the lack of trying as it was her lifeblood reminding her of her lineage's sordid history. Like white painted over a richer colored surface, traces of their real, prejudiced, insecure, and treacherous nature will always remain no matter how thick the make-up they lather across their faces were. They flash their brightest smiles when you try to be nice to them, but the moment you turn your back they quickly shed their masks off and begin cutting you down to size, mocking you for your daftness, even conniving to exploit your good will until you're nothing but a husk of your former self.
And if you're not careful, an overnight trip such as this one, an occasion where pretenses are put aside and relationships between friends and lovers are nurtured, could turn into the worst day of your life.
"No matter how much time passes, harpies never change... Pitiful," Akako lamented, calling to mind the role such filth played in the demise of her ancestors all those decades ago. In some ways, they were the ones who instigated it, sowing the seeds of stigma about her kind because it was all they could do to win back their lovers and spouses, unable to measure up against their rivals' beauty, grace and power in an honorable contest. There were even hussies who stooped so low as to befriend them only to gather more "evidence" to back their claims and "expose" them while they're most vulnerable, using fallacies like faith and the law to justify their tactless actions.
She wouldn't deny her kindred's accountability ab out the latter though. But at the end of the day, witches were still human... Unable to feed off on malefic energy as voraciously as demons do... Still bound to earthly desires by that pesky thing called emotion.
Girls in this generation are no different, perhaps even worse than ever now that they have alternative means to spread their bile discreetly and more reasons to ostracize their so-called 'witches', the pettiness of those reasons notwithstanding. Akako wouldn't have lasted this long if she hadn't been fighting fire with a much stronger force all this time... Lying to everyone through her teeth and taking advantage of the right people to get her way, even if came down to using the abilities she was bestowed with and had perfected since. The very few who were so dumb as to oppose her wiles? Some of them developed a stutter whenever they hear doors creaking and crows crying, while others became quite fearful of heights, cramped spaces, mice, and swimming pools, only to describe a few curious events that changed their lives significantly.
And the best part? None of these could be traced back to her. After all, everyone adored Akako Koizumi, and badmouthing her was practically social suicide, among other horrible things.
Indeed, the path of the red witch was marred with deceit, thus could only be taken in solitude. She used to get depressed by it when she was younger and more naive, but in time she had come to realize just how pathetic these 'mortals' were especially when faced with a more superior being.
Now, all she could feel for them was enmity.
"So what should I do with you, Kawashima-san? Should I wrap your precious Ryu-kun around my finger for the duration of this excursion and deny you of your triumph? Or would you prefer to develop scabs all over your face? Hmm…I think I'll do both..."
This time, Akako was in a very jubilant mood. In fact, she was on the verge of bursting out when...
"Akako-chan?"
Annoyed, the sorceress narrowed her eyes towards her apparent agitator, only to find a girl who has caught enough of her ire in the past to earn a special mention in her blacklist. "Do you need something from me, Nakamori-san?"
"Umm, I was just wondering," Aoko stuttered at first, but after a deep breath, pushed through with what she had meant to ask. "Can I sit beside you?"
Akako wasn't exactly stunned by the inquiry. As the bus's gullet is gradually filled, she knew it was only a matter of time until someone dared impose on her remaining space. "Wouldn't you be better off sitting with Momoi-san?" she discouraged. After all, letting Aoko have her way now meant she'll be sticking with her for the rest of the trip, stupid buddy system and all.
"Well, Keiko's already sitting beside Suzume, so..."
Akako gave the rest of the seats a once-over and spotted her bespectacled, pig-tailed classmate, confirming she was indeed already with company. They looked like they were talking about something important, but Akako had no interest in that. What she found curious though was the reason why nobody would offer a spot to someone as affable as Aoko Nakamori. Frankly, she was the last person Akako expected to be left out in the pecking order. "Hmmm... Is this the backlash of your bond with Kuroba-kun? Or could it be that apart from Kuroba-kun and Momoi-san, you're not close enough to any one of them?"
Turning back to Aoko, the sorceress likened her to the clear azure that greeted everyone as they rose from their slumber. Pleasant and empowering as it was, people think very little of it once the gravity of their day to day lives bog them anew. In Aoko's case, no matter how often she clowned around with Kuroba-kun and how many parties she organized, they only see it as an entertaining banter and free food, respectively. Without her confidant to detract her from it, the notion of her so-called friends' fickleness was probably beginning to split that gullible head of hers apart.
"Awww... Poor little girl... You must have been counting on Kuroba-kun to steal away your misery, but alas, fate decided not to humor you today."Akako mocked.
But the vile sentiments she had absorbed from the other egos earlier led her straight into a more ominous premonition. "Wait a minute. Don't tell me you've finally caught on with that handkerchief prank I pulled on you a while back and have decided to seek some form of retribution... Well that's too bad, because it'll take more than your stupid expressions and pretentious innocence to outwit me."
"Oh, I'm sorry, bu-" She was more than ready to shun Aoko away when...
"I really hope Akako-chan says yes!"
Akako was taken aback, not only by the realization that her hex was still in effect, but of the overflowing warmth she had sensed from Aoko's inner voice. Renewing her concentration, she tried to scour deeper into Aoko's musings to learn what she was really up to, but only then did her magic cease to function.
Left with nothing but her own canny, all she could do was narrow her eyes at Aoko. But those orbs refused to waver even in the slightest bit, just like their owner who refused to budge even spots around them still vacant.
In the end, she couldn't find anything to disprove the thoughts she had eavesdropped on.
"Could it be that you actually want to sit with me simply because you want to?" Akako wondered, sizing her adversary up for a moment. "Just what the hell are you plotting?" It certainly wasn't beyond Aoko to be so whimsical, but...
Akako sighed. "No... The better question would be 'what the hell am I thinking'..."
"...I'm sorry. It was immature of me not to have offered this seat to you in the first place," she consented at last. Their standoff was becoming cumbersome anyway. "Go ahead, if you please."
"R-really?!" Aoko's face lit up.
"Mmhmm... But please refrain from topics about Kuroba-kun as well as his parlor tricks. I'm afraid I'm not in the mood for either of them," Akako said while carefully lifting her bag from the seat. "And I'd be grateful if you helped me put this up."
"You can count on me!" she nodded as she carefully took one end of the bag. "Besides, who would want to talk about stupid Kaito anyway?"
"...I suppose I still have plenty of things to learn... I accept today's defeat, but I won't be careless next time," Akako mused, her lips curled up wryly as they hauled her belongings over onto the rack. "Say, Nakamori-san... Are you familiar with Morgan le Fay?"
Aoko pondered for a moment. "She's King Arthur's sister, right? I think I've seen a couple of movies with her in it... But isn't she a very cruel person?"
"Well, actually..."
The End.